Originally published Dec. 10, 2008.
By Alan Riquelmy
ariquelmy@ledger-enquirer.com
MACON, Ga. — Julia Slater, Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit district attorney-elect, testified here Tuesday before a federal grand jury in an investigation of a Columbus attorney.
Slater, 41, received her subpoena about two weeks ago, according to her attorney, Page Pate of Atlanta. Pate said the subpoena was connected to an investigation of allegations that client fees might not have been properly accounted for by a member of a local law firm.
“I will confirm that Mrs. Slater is not the target of the investigation,” said Joe Newman, first assistant U.S. attorney out of Savannah, Ga. “She is a witness.”
Slater arrived at the William A. Bootle Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse around 2 p.m. Tuesday. Local attorneys W. Charles Day and Edward Berry already had signed in at the bailiffs’ station when Slater met with Pate in the post office portion of the building.
Day is a partner with attorney Mark Shelnutt in the firm of Shelnutt and Day. Berry is a former partner in the firm, and Slater worked for the firm before running for district attorney.
Slater declined to speak when met outside, instead referring all questions to Pate.
“As of now, there is only one target of this investigation, and it is not Julia Slater,” Pate said.
Pate called the case unusual in that the U.S. Attorney’s Office chose to confirm that Slater was only a witness and not the investigation’s target. Before her appearance in front of the grand jury, Pate said he expected she’d be asked about fees received by an attorney that weren’t properly logged. He added that she likely wouldn’t be able to shed any light on the subject.
Staff writers Chuck Williams and Lily Gordon contributed to this report.
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